The full line-up of performers for the first Coke Studio Live in Dubai, featuring top Pakistani music stars from the series, have been revealed. The show, set to take place at Coca-Cola Arena on October 14, will also feature special performances, including one by Norwegian dance troupe Quick Style, who started a viral TikTok trend set to a Bollywood song.
Ali Sethi and Shae Gill, the Pakistani singers behind the viral song Pasoori, were among the first batch of headliners announced earlier. The pair will be joined by sisters Sania Sohail and Muqadas Jandad, who go by the name Justin Bibis, as well as singer and rapper Hasan Raheem.
Scroll through the gallery above for more pictures of the performers for Coke Studio Live in Dubai
Joining them on stage will be neo progressive music group Karakoram, rap duo Young Stunners and Faisal Kapadia, the frontman of acclaimed group Strings.
Kapadia and Young Stunners will perform their Coke Studio collaboration Phir Milenge, among others.
Karakoram will bring their signature rock style, as well as their metal hit Yeh Dunya.
Meanwhile, Quick Style, who went viral after a video of their performance at the wedding of one of their members went viral, will perform to Raheem and Justin Bibis's song Peechay Hutt, among others. Their dance move, set to the song Kaala Chasma, has now inspired millions of TikTok videos.
But the biggest names of the night will undoubtedly be Sethi and Gill, whose song Pasoori has been viewed more than 389 million times on YouTube alone.
The track has become one of the most successful singles in Coke Studio's history, and also sparked hundreds of covers from singers even across the border in India, where Pakistani artists are still banned from performing.
The song, which roughly translates as “difficulty”, was inspired by the difficulties Sethi encountered trying to visit and perform in India. The lyrics draw on the age-old story of forbidden love, and are written in Punjabi, a language spoken in both India and Pakistan.
“It’s been a theme running in my life for several years; I’ve had to engage with my Indian fans and friends through veils, lest we draw the attention of extremist elements whose job is to maintain the rigid boundary between India and Pakistan,” Sethi told The Guardian. “So I’d been mulling the theme of prohibition for many months.”
Pasoori was also featured in the hit Disney+ series Ms Marvel.
Peechay Hutt, the song featuring Justin Bibis and Raheem, has also been viewed more than 18 million times on YouTube.
Season 14 of Coke Studio Pakistan had its premiere in February and received wide acclaim. The YouTube show pairs established artists with new faces, often from starkly different genres, who perform original songs together. While the format exists in other countries, the show has struck a chord especially in Pakistan, where it's been lauded for bringing together artists from different religions, backgrounds, regions, genres and languages.
In total, Coke Studio Pakistan videos have amassed more than four billion views online since February.
“Music is a language that transcends cultures and boundaries," said Zulfiqar Jabbar Khan, who assembled, produced and curated Season 14 of Coke Studio.
"Whether someone is performing a song or listening to one, music provides an opportunity for real and meaningful connection. With Coke Studio Live in Dubai, we want to give the richly diverse population one more reason to open their hearts and connect through their love for music."
Tickets, starting at Dh179, are available on coca-cola-arena.com.
A version of this article was first published on August 25, 2022
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Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
IF YOU GO
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
THREE
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The Sky Is Pink
Director: Shonali Bose
Cast: Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Farhan Akhtar, Zaira Wasim, Rohit Saraf
Three stars
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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7pm: Abu Dhabi Equestrian Gold Cup - Prestige (PA) Dh125,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: Hameem, Adrie de Vries, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7.30pm: Al Ruwais – Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 (T) 1,200m, Winner: AF Alwajel, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
8pm: Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m, Winner: Nibras Passion, Bernardo Pinheiro, Ismail Mohammed
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COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: BorrowMe (BorrowMe.com)
Date started: August 2021
Founder: Nour Sabri
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce / Marketplace
Size: Two employees
Funding stage: Seed investment
Initial investment: $200,000
Investors: Amr Manaa (director, PwC Middle East)
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Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 10.4L/100km
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On sale: now